


Don’t Need Room For Your Bags (Hope Is All That You Have)

by lilies_in_a_vase



Series: Looking For A Safe Place To Land [13]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy Hargrove & Maxine "Max" Mayfield Have a Good Relationship, Billy Hargrove Lives, Billy Hargrove Needs Love, Billy Hargrove Needs a Hug, Billy Hargrove moves in with Joyce and Hopper, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Gen, Good Parent Jim "Chief" Hopper, Good Parent Joyce Byers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Joyce & Hopper adopt all the Lost Kids of Hawkins Indiana, M/M, Neil Hargrove's A+ Parenting, Nightmares, POV Jim "Chief" Hopper, Parental Jim "Chief" Hopper, Past Child Abuse, Protective Parent Jim "Chief" Hopper, first snow, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:09:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27581177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilies_in_a_vase/pseuds/lilies_in_a_vase
Summary: Out of all the titles he’s had in his life, ‘dad’ is probably his absolute favourite. Jim’s been a biological dad, he is an adoptive dad, he recently became a stepdad, and now he is a foster dad.Billy moves in on a Tuesday.And so Jim gets another kid.—Featuring:Joyce and Hopper get custody of Billy.Billy starts learning what a real family is like.And Hopper is a Protective Dad.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove & Jim "Chief" Hopper, Billy Hargrove & Joyce Byers & Jim “Chief” Hopper, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Joyce Byers & Billy Hargrove, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper
Series: Looking For A Safe Place To Land [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1637785
Comments: 15
Kudos: 235





	Don’t Need Room For Your Bags (Hope Is All That You Have)

**Author's Note:**

> TRIGGER WARNING  
> Don’t think there’s much in here, although there are references to past abuse throughout. 
> 
> I’ve got such a flow going right now I might actually finish this before Christmas! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own “Stranger Things” and title comes from “A Safe Place To Land” by Sara Bareilles and John Legend.

Billy moves in on a Tuesday. 

Jim spends the morning moving the boxes Billy and Steve packed Billy’s belongings into the night before. Steve comes by and helps him, but then he has to leave for his shift at Family Video. He kisses Billy goodbye before leaving the house on Cherry Lane. 

Susan looks on with an expression that isn’t exactly disgust, nor is it hate, but definitely not approval, or even indifference. She seems conflicted. Jim’s glad Billy’s staying with him and Joyce. 

It’s mostly thanks to Max that it ends up like that. Elena Harrington’s influence, combined with the fact that not much happens in Hawkins and the areas surrounding that needs to go to court, makes the whole thing move much quicker than it would’ve in a bigger city. 

Billy, bruised and having to use his crutch to get around the room, talks about everything Neil Hargrove ever did to him, and they have Tatiana Owens talk about his injuries, about Neil withholding medication, and Jim’s blood boils. Then they call on him, and he recounts the state he found the Hargrove’s home in after Max called him panicking, and then he tells them about the signs of abuse he’d seen in Billy before that night. He’s pleasantly surprised to see Susan take the stand against Neil. 

The dilemma comes after the court decides to sentence Neil to prison, and to terminate his parental rights. Susan never adopted Billy, so nobody has any custody over him. He has no extended family, and so the Court naturally figures he should probably still stay with Susan as his guardian. Max changes their minds, saying she doesn’t think it would be a good decision, and when asked Billy tells them he’d rather not stay with Susan. Jim lets them know he and Joyce are willing to take him in. 

And so Jim gets another kid. 

Out of all the titles he’s had in his life, ‘dad’ is probably his absolute favourite. Jim’s been a biological dad, he is an adoptive dad, he recently became a stepdad, and now he is a foster dad. 

Having taken the last box home, Jim drives back to Cherry Lane. Billy’s waiting for him in his old room. They left the furniture behind, in case he ever decides to stay over, or in case Max or Susan have another guest, and Billy’s sitting on his old bed. He’s got the teddy bear El bought him resting against his knees, his hands holding one of the front paws each, and he’s staring at it as though it holds all the answers of the universe in its black eyes. 

The door’s open, but Jim knocks on the doorway before leaning against it, instead of stepping into the room. 

Billy looks up and flushes when he sees him. Jim’s expecting him to maybe throw the bear away from himself, trying to pretend it doesn’t mean much to him, but instead Billy pulls it closer. Jim smiles gently at him. “You ready to go, kid?” 

“Yeah,” Billy croaks and takes his crutch, leaning on it to follow Jim to the front door. 

Max wraps her arms around him and presses her face into his shirt. Jim can see the way her arms are straining to keep from clutching at him and holding on tight, but her brother’s got a broken rib and Max is doing her best not to hurt him. Susan watches them with an expression Jim can’t place. It looks mostly sad. 

“I’m going to come over at least like, every week,” Max says, and Billy gives her a one-armed hug. 

“Of course you are. El’s your best friend.” 

Max laughs, but Jim can hear the shakiness in it. “I’ll come to see you as well, you idiot.” 

Billy whispers something to her, something Jim doesn’t quite catch, but it makes Max hold him a little tighter before letting go. 

She glances over to Jim, and he can see the protectiveness in her gaze. She’s trusting him to take care of her brother. 

Billy doesn’t say anything on the drive back to, well, home. It’s both their home now. He just sits silently in the passenger seat with the teddy in his lap. Jim doesn’t blame him. While he’d wanted to take Billy in, to help him, he doesn’t really know what to say either. 

The kids are still at school, and Joyce is at work, when they arrive. Jim’s taken the day of to help Billy settle in. 

He shows Billy to his new room, sees him look at it with wide eyed, almost childlike, curiosity. It’s a nice expression to see on him. Billy’s belongings are all packed into six big cardboard boxes, some inside the room and others just outside. Three of them have clothes in them, Hopper knows, one has books, and the other two are filled with a varied assortment of stuff. 

Jim spends the hour or so it takes Billy to unpack calling the high school and letting them know he and Joyce have officially got the custody of Billy from now on, and that Jonathan will be picking his assignments up until Christmas break. Then he sets out to make them toasties for lunch. 

Billy comes out to the kitchen right as Jim finishes. 

“I was just about to go and get you,” Jim says. “You hungry, kid?” 

Billy gives him a nod, and Jim gestures for him to sit down while he gets them each a plate with the finished sandwiches. 

“What now?” Billy asks, once he’s halfway done with his plate. 

Jim frowns, takes a sip of coffee before answering. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean, I’ve finished unpacking, so what should I do now?”

Jim shrugs. “Do whatever you want. What do you usually do during the day?” He tries to ignore the knot that forms at Billy’s visible confusion to that first sentence. 

“I’d do schoolwork, but there’s barely anything now before the holidays, and then I’d walk around the house, and sleep, and read or watch tv or listen to music.” 

“Why just around the house? Why didn’t you go out?” 

Billy looks down at his plate, tips his glass of orange juice a little so he can swirl the liquid around. “Didn’t want to risk Neil finding out. If he thought I was well enough to be outside he’d make me go to school, and I wouldn’t be able to deal with that.” 

Jim gets angry first, but forces himself to cool down and spends a couple seconds actually thinking about what Billy’s telling him. He doesn’t like the conclusion he reaches. “Wait... How many times have you been outside since...?”

“Since the Fourth of July? If we don’t count all the business with CPS and the Court, then four times, including when I went to meet Steve’s parents.”  


“You’ve only been outside  _ four times _ in the last  _ five months? _ ” Billy nods, and Jim stares at him, flabbergasted. “Alright, that’s it, kid, we’re going outside for a bit once we’re finished eating. If you’re up for it, that is?” 

Billy’s whole face lights up. “I’m definitely up for it.”

Jim smiles at him, and stands up to go wash his plate in the sink. Once he’s dried it off with a towel, he glances over at Billy. He’s finished eating, and is back to swirling his orange juice and staring down at it. 

Jim goes up behind him, and reaches out for his empty plate. 

This is his first mistake. 

Billy’s whole body flinches, and he loses his grip on the glass. It rolls off the table, spilling orange juice all over, and shatters upon impact. 

Jim backs away, turns around and goes to grab the paper towels they keep on the counter. He’s expecting Billy to still be sitting in his chair, perhaps trying to keep the juice from dripping off the table, but instead Jim finds him on his knees in the mess on the floor. 

He’s trembling, and it only seems to get worse as Jim steps closer. Billy’s scooping up glass shards with his bare hands. Jim hears him hiss, sees blood start to well up from a cut on his finger, but still he doesn’t stop. 

Jim puts the paper towels down on the table to soak up the juice, and crouches down in front of Billy. He reaches out with his hand and puts it over Billy’s bloody hand, feeling the bigger shards touching his palm. 

That is his second mistake, because Billy flinches again, scrambling back and pulling his knees up. He’s still got the shards in his cupped hand. 

“I’m sorry,” he gasps, and through the locks of blonde hair, Jim sees him squeeze his eyes shut. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” 

Jim can see blood starting to trail down his hand, and thinks that he needs to at least make him let go of the glass before he gives himself more scars. 

He doesn’t reach out this time, but stays where he is. “Billy,” he says instead, trying to keep his voice gentle even though his blood is boiling at what Neil made this kid. “It’s okay. It’s okay, I’m not mad. It was an accident. Can you give me your hand?” 

Billy slowly opens his eyes, and Jim’s heart aches at the wariness he sees in them. But he must trust Jim somewhat despite what his instincts are telling him, because he reaches out his hand. 

Jim smiles at him, and slowly reaches up to uncurl Billy’s fingers and pluck the glass shards from his palm. He doesn’t think there’s any stuck, but he’s cut himself on some of them. Shallow cuts, hopefully. 

“Go and wash it in the bathroom, okay? I’ll come by in a minute.” 

Billy nods, and pushes himself up with the other hand on the seat behind him. He doesn’t say anything as he leaves the room, and Jim sighs. 

He quickly cleans up the juice and glass from the table and floor, and goes over to the bathroom once he’s done. Billy left the door open. 

He grabs the first aid kit they keep in there, and gestures for Billy to sit down on the closed toilet seat. Jim crouches down in front of him and Billy holds out his hand. He won’t look at it, and as Jim inspects it for any leftover glass he wonders if Billy’s ashamed of the scars on his palms. He shouldn’t be. All Jim sees when he looks at them is evidence of the brave young man who stood up to a monster and saved Jim’s daughter’s life. 

“Billy,” he says as he reaches out for the gauze and starts rolling Billy’s hand in it. 

Billy looks up at him then, and Jim gives him an encouraging smile. He tries to, at least. He doesn’t know how good he is at that. He isn’t good at emotional shit, but he needs to say this. Needs to make sure Billy knows. 

“I’m not going to hit you. Ever. You need a parent. A real one. I’m going to  _ parent _ you. And that  _ never _ involves hurting you. Do you understand?”

He glances up to look at Billy, as he finishes saying it, trying to see his reaction. And Billy nods, but he’s frowning, and it’s such a goddamn unsure expression Jim’s pretty sure he feels his heart break.

“Yeah,” Billy says. “Yeah, I... I think so. I’m getting there.” 

Jim nods. “Okay. Good. I’m done with your hand, so if you still want to, we can go out for a walk now?” 

Billy flexes his hand and nods, and not long after, they’re outside, walking down the path into the woods behind the house. 

It starts snowing right as they’re turning around to go back. Billy stops where he is, leaning most of his weight on his crutch, and reaches out a hand to catch a couple of snowflakes. He looks up at the sky in wonder.

Jim’s used to snow, but watching Billy and the almost childlike wonder on his face, he’s starting to realise how beautiful snow can actually be. 

“Is this only your second winter with actual snow?” he asks, and Billy looks over at him with big, blue eyes. He smiles, and it’s all so goddamn innocent Jim can’t keep himself from grinning. 

“Yeah. My mum used to take me to make ‘sand angels’ on the beach.” There’s no bitterness in his voice when he mentions his mother, and Jim is glad for it. Billy’s face lights up. “Do you think the others will want to have a snowball fight?” 

Jim laughs. “Why doesn’t it surprise me that is something you would enjoy? But yeah, sure, I think they’d like that. But you’d probably have to wait a few days to get the real good snow.” 

Billy spends the rest of the walk back home telling Jim who he’d want on his team. He’d take El over Steve it turns out, and Max and Robin, and when Jim asks why he tells him that Max and Robin would probably be great at it, and El could probably throw more than one ball at a time, or change direction of them if one was about to hit her. Jim laughs and tells him it’s probably cheating. Billy tells him he doesn’t care. Jim thinks it’s a good day. 

—

Jim and Joyce try to have them all eat dinner together as many days as possible, and before Thanksgiving, before the Harringtons came back, they’d even have Steve over some nights. It’s clear that first night that Billy is used to ‘family dinners’, but not  _ family dinners_. He looks shocked every time someone directs a question at him, at hearing multiple conversations all going on around him at the same time, at not having Jim, or even Joyce, sitting at the head of the table and dictating conversation topics and who gets to speak.

Lying in bed that night, Jim pulls Joyce close to him and kisses her brow. She smells of shampoo and that distinct smell that’s just hers and always clings to her skin. The smell of home. 

“I noticed it as well,” Joyce says, because she has an uncanny ability to know what’s bothering him before even he does sometimes. He’d told her about what happened at lunch as soon as she’d come home and Billy had been out of earshot. He thinks about Billy now, trying to fall asleep in his new bed, in his new room next to theirs, in a new house, with a new family. He hopes he has an easy night. 

“I don’t think he knows the difference between what having a parent and having an abuser is,” Jim whispers into the dark. “Neil Hargrove fucked that boy up.” 

Joyce hugs him tighter to her. She’s so tiny, and yet Jim’s certain she’s the one holding him together most of the time. She’s the strongest person he knows, the kindest. He’s so lucky she loves him. “He did. But Billy’s got real parents now. He’s got us.” 

Billy asks them that Friday if it’s alright if he goes to the movies with Steve and sleeps over at his place, and Joyce smiles at him and thanks him for asking and tells him that of course it’s okay. 

Jim, on the other hand, is panicking as he helps Joyce with the last preparations for dinner. At first he isn’t certain what he’s feeling, before it clicks that it’s the same feeling he had whenever El invited Mike over and they’d sit on her bed and kiss and pretend they were studying. Jim almost wants to get in his car and go and drag Billy home, telling him he can be with Steve at home, as long as he keeps the bedroom door open _three goddamn inches_. Maybe he should call Steve’s parents, tell them his rules, and see if they’re willing to collaborate, but while they me be Steve’s parents, Steve is also technically an adult, and... Oh,  _ god_, Steve’s an  _ adult_. 

“Jim? Hon?” 

Jim blinks to find Joyce looking concerned up at him. He realises he’s stopped chopping the vegetables she’d asked him, knife held tightly in one hand.

“Steve’s an adult,” he tells her, and she raises her eyebrows at him. 

“Yes. Your point?” 

“We let Billy go out on a date with a legal adult. What if something happens? They’re going to sleep together!” 

Joyce looks like she’s barely keeping herself from laughing. “Most likely, yes. They’re teenagers, Jim. And Billy most likely hasn’t been with anyone since July; let him have this.” 

“They’re our kids, Joyce!” Jim says, exasperated. “I’ve only had daughters before, but now I’ve got three sons as well. I’m not letting anyone hurt them. I wouldn’t let them leave the house to meet boys if I could stop it.” 

“Billy’s seventeen years old, honey. And the boys in question are Mike and Steve. They’re good boys.” She pats his arm, and walks around him to get the pasta off the stove. 

Jim shakes his head. He needs her to understand. “I’ve gone to break up parties at Steve’s place when he was younger, and Mike is...  _ Mike_. I don’t trust anyone with my kids. And what about Nancy? Can we trust Nancy?” 

Now Joyce _is_ actually laughing. “Yes, we can trust Nancy. You’re starting to sound as paranoid as Murray.” She calls out for the kids to come and join them, and Jim carries over the vegetables. 

“Oh, no. Don’t you compare me to that man. He’s insane,” he tells her as he takes his seat. “I’m just a concerned father.”

Joyce sits down right as the kids come in and take their seats. “I don’t know if there’s much difference,” she says, and Jim doesn’t bother answering that. Instead, he turns to Jonathan, who’s in the middle of scooping food up on his plate. 

“You’d tell us if Nancy ever hurt you, right?” 

He raises his eyebrows at him. It’s the exact same expression Joyce gave him earlier. “I’m not letting you shoot my girlfriend, Hop.” 

“And I’m not letting anyone hurt my kids. And Nancy’s a good shot-“ 

“If Nancy ever shoots me, I probably deserved it.” 

Jim sighs. “El-“ 

“Has superpowers. I think she can protect herself,” Jonathan chuckles. 

Jim presses his lips together, and turns back to Joyce. “Should we leave a bowl of condoms in the bathroom?” Jim knows - hopes, that is - that El and Mike haven’t started wanting to explore... that particular part of intimacy yet, but it’s going to happen sooner rather than later. He figures that either El knows what a condom is and doesn’t care, or she doesn’t know and Jim can ask Joyce to deal with that particular part of parenting. 

“Oh dear god,” he hears Jonathan say. 

“Well, that might be a good idea, actually,” Joyce says. She’s smirking, which Jim knows means she’s about to say something just to mess with him. “Then Murray won’t be handing them out.” 

“Murray’s doing  _ what _ now?” 

“They gave Billy condoms while he was in the hospital,” she says with a shrug. Jim doesn’t bother asking how she knows. 

“Yeah, he’s given me some as well,” Jonathan adds, like it’s  _ nothing _ . And okay, fair, Jim would probably have reacted the same when he was his age. He’s not anymore, though. He’s a dad now.

“Murray’s giving condoms to my underaged sons?” 

“Well, _technically_ , Billy wasn’t your kid then.” 

“What about Jonathan?”

“I’m not saying no to free condoms,” Jonathan says, and Jim wants to scream. 

“Relax, Jim, it’s good they’re using protection!” 

He sighs. “Yeah, of course, but-“

“Mum?” Will says, and for the first time since this conversation began, Jim’s gaze is drawn to the end of the table. El is grinning, and Will is red like a tomato. “Dinner’s really good,” Will says, and for a second the whole table’s silent. Then they all burst out laughing at the same time, and Jonathan reaches out to ruffle Will’s hair. 

—

That they left the room next to theirs empty and had El move into the one beside Will’s, in case Billy would end up needing to stay at theirs, was not a coincidence. Jim knows El’s had nightmares, and Joyce knows that so has both Will and Jonathan, and they figure that Billy probably won’t be any different. 

Jim’s actually pretty shocked it hasn’t happened earlier, when he’s awoken in themiddle of the night, and goes up with Joyce to step out into the corridor outside their bedroom. 

But when he opens the door it isn’t dark and empty on the other side. It’s dark, yes, but it seems like all four of their kids are awake. 

Jonathan looks like he was just about to go up and knock on their door, and Will and El stand in their pyjamas looking between Billy’s closed bedroom and Jim and Joyce in the doorway to their own room. 

“I tried to get them back to bed, but they wanted to make sure you were going to help him first,” Jonathan explains, but Jim sees him glance back at Billy’s door with a concerned frown. He’s as worried as Will and El are. 

Jim claps a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll take it from here. You did good, kid.” 

Jonathan smiles at him and turns to usher Will and El into their respective bedrooms. El stops in the doorway to her room and looks Jim in the eye. 

“He’s sad,” she tells him. “Scared. Hurting. Here.” She moves a hand up to her chest, towards her heart, then turns around and closes the door behind her. 

Jim follows Joyce into Billy’s bedroom. She doesn’t knock, just slowly inches it open, and Jim closes it behind the two of them. 

Billy’s covers are half on the floor, the rest twisted around his legs. He’s sucking in harsh, painful breaths that they can hear even from the door. Joyce hurries over and sits down at the edge of his bed, by his head. Jim pulls the duvet up off the floor and spreads it back over Billy, before sitting down by his knees. The teddy bear El got him sits at the corner of his bed, above his head. 

Joyce reaches out a hand and starts stroking Billy’s hair. He flinches, but doesn’t otherwise react. They stay like that for a couple seconds, before Billy lets out a whine and Jim grasps his hand. 

“Wake up, kid,” he says, and squeezes the hand he’s holding. He wants to scoop him up in his arms the way he would El, but he thinks that would probably only scare Billy more. Instead they stay there, whispering quiet comforts and waiting for him to wake up. No one should ever be alone after a nightmare, has always been Jim’s belief. 

And eventually, eventually, they get there. Billy gasps, and opens his eyes, and Jim squeezes his hand again. 

“There you are,” Joyce whispers. “It’s just me and Jim, sweetie. You’re not alone.” 

Billy blinks up at them, swallows a couple times. “Sorry,” he whispers, his voice hoarse. “Sorry for waking you up.” 

Joyce meets his gaze, and Jim can see his burning hate for Neil Hargrove reflected in her eyes. But she’s gentle when she speaks to Billy. Jim’s just glad he hasn’t pushed Jim’s hand away. 

“You have nothing to apologise for, Billy,” Joyce says. “Nothing at all. We’re happy to be here.” 

Jim can tell Billy doesn’t really believe them, but he doesn’t say anything. Just closes his eyes and takes a couple deep breaths. Jim’s afraid that he’s just waiting for them to leave before he breaks down. 

“Think you’ll be able to go back to sleep?” Joyce asks. “I can get us some hot chocolate and put on a movie otherwise.” 

But Billy shakes his head. “Tired,” he mumbles, and Joyce nods and keeps stroking his hair. 

“Sleep then.” She starts humming, before moving into singing, quietly, softly. “ _Somewhere... over the rainbow, way... up high... In the land that I’ve heard of, once, once in a lullaby..._ ”

Jim’s expecting Billy to fall asleep to that, listening to Joyce’s gentle voice, but instead his eyelashes flutter open and he stares up at her with wet eyes. 

“Was that you?” Billy asks. “One of those first weeks, in the hospital. Was it you singing?” 

Joyce nods. “Yes,” she whispers, and it seems like that is what breaks him. Billy lets out a sound between a gasp and a sob, and curls up with his body turned towards them. Joyce keeps on singing, and stroking his hair, and Billy clings to Jim’s hand. They stay there until he falls back asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked this part! Please leave kudos or a comment if you did! 
> 
> Usually when I write from Hopper’s POV I still like to write “Hopper” rather than “Jim”, but when I started this fic it felt... weird? Wrong? to call him anything other than Jim. Please let me know what you guys think about that!


End file.
